2002–03 Ipswich Town F.C. season explained

During the 2002–03 English football season, Ipswich Town competed in the First Division, following relegation from the FA Premier League the previous season. Despite being relegated, Ipswich Town had achieved UEFA Cup qualification for the second season running, this time via the UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking.

Season summary

The financial cost of relegation the previous season saw Ipswich enter administration on 10 February.^[1] The financial problems had caused the sale of both key players like Marcus Stewart and promising young players like Titus Bramble and Darren Ambrose, leading to poor results on the pitch that left Ipswich struggling near the relegation zone. A 3–0 defeat at fellow strugglers Grimsby Town proved to be the final straw and manager George Burley was sacked in October. First team coach and former Ipswich player Tony Mowbray took charge of the next four games, winning one, before being replaced by Joe Royle - a former player for Town's archrivals Norwich City. Royle turned Town's fortunes around considerably and they finished in 7th place, 4 points off the playoff places.

In the League Cup, Ipswich reached the fourth round before being knocked out by eventual winners Liverpool 5–4 on penalties, after Tommy Miller's strike in the fourteenth minute was cancelled out by El Hadji Diouf's 54th-minute penalty.

First-team squad

Squad at end of season^[2]

Reserve squad

Pre-season

Ipswich went on a pre-season tour of Denmark in July as part of the pre-season for the 2002–03 season.^[3]

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
16 July 2002	AaB	A	0–1	Unknown
18 July 2002	Farum Boldklub	A	1–2	Unknown	Armstrong
24 July 2002	Bristol Rovers	A	2–1	Unknown	Ambrose, D Bent
27 July 2002	Bristol City	A	3–0	Unknown	D Bent, Miller (2) (pen)
29 July 2002	Barnet	A	2–1	Unknown	Couñago (2)
31 July 2002	Brentford	A	3–0	Unknown	George, Stewart (2)
3 August 2002	Celta Vigo	H	2–1	Unknown	Ambrose (2)

Competitions

Football League First Division

See main article: 2002–03 Football League First Division.

Legend

Win

Draw

Loss

Ipswich Town's score comes first^[4]

Matches

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
10 August 2002		A	2–0	5,253	Ambrose, M Bent
18 August 2002		H	6–1	27,374	Holland (2), Ambrose, George, Couñago (2)
24 August 2002		A	1–1	8,097	D Bent
26 August 2002		H	1–2	25,457	D Bent
1 September 2002		A	0–0	15,357
15 September 2002		H	1–1	29,112	Couñago
22 September 2002		A	1–2	14,587	Holland
28 September 2002		H	0–1	24,439
6 October 2002		A	1–0	3,238	Ambrose
8 October 2002		A	0–3	4,688
12 October 2002		H	2–1	23,410	Couñago (2)
19 October 2002		A	1–3	19,524	Ambrose
22 October 2002		H	2–2	22,736	McGreal, Ambrose
26 October 2002		H	0–1	24,176
3 November 2002		H	1–2	24,941	Ambrose
9 November 2002		A	0–0	15,884
17 November 2002		A	2–0	16,184	Armstrong, Clapham
23 November 2002		H	2–1	23,633	D Bent, Couñago
30 November 2002		A	1–2	24,898	Williams (o.g)
7 December 2002		H	1–2	22,770	Wilnis
10 December 2002		A	1–1	6,377	Magilton
14 December 2002		H	4–2	22,985	Miller, Naylor, Couñago, Bent
21 December 2002		A	1–1	19,130	Gaardsøe
26 December 2002		A	2–1	31,426	Gaardsøe, Ambrose
28 December 2002		H	3–2	26,550	Couñago (2), Gaardsøe
1 January 2003		H	4–1	26,040	Miller (2), Wright, M Bent
11 January 2003		A	1–1	15,501	Couñago
18 January 2003		H	3–0	24,666	M Bent, D Bent (2)
1 February 2003		A	0–2	12,080
8 February 2003		H	3–2	26,151	D Bent (2), Ambrose
19 February 2003		H	2–4	27,700	M Bent, Holland
22 February 2003		H	2–2	24,118	D Bent
2 March 2003		A	2–0	21,243	Wilnis, D Bent
5 March 2003		A	1–1	26,901	Naylor
8 March 2003		H	0–0	25,547
11 March 2003		A	1–1	15,990	M Bent
15 March 2003		A	1–0	24,726	Holland
18 March 2003		H	3–1	24,108	Gaardsøe, Holland, Magilton
22 March 2003		H	2–2	26,078	M Bent, Reuser
29 March 2003		A	3–1	8,508	Couñago (2), M Bent
5 April 2003		H	3–4	29,503	Miller (2) (pen), M Bent
12 April 2003		A	4–2	13,968	M Bent (2), Couñago (2)
18 April 2003		H	3–0	29,396	Reuser, Miller, Couñago
21 April 2003		A	1–2	7,519	Couñago
26 April 2003		H	1–5	25,564	D Bent
4 May 2003		A	4–1	28,785	Couñago, D Bent, Magilton, Holland

FA Cup

See main article: 2002–03 FA Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers

R3	4 January 2003		H	4–0	18,529	Clapham, D Bent (2), Ambrose
R4	25 January 2003		A	3–4	12,757	Gaardsøe, Miller (pen), Bent

League Cup

See main article: 2002–03 Football League Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers

R3	24 September 2002		H	3–1	13,266	D Bent, Couñago, Ambrose
R4	6 November 2002		H	3–1	14,417	Gaardsøe, Clapham, D Bent
R5	4 December 2002		A	1–1 (lost 4–5 on pens)	26,305	Miller

UEFA Cup

See main article: 2002–03 UEFA Cup.

!Round!!Date!!Opponent!!Venue!!Result!!Attendance!!Goalscorers

QR First Leg	15 August 2002		A	1–1	12,000	Stewart
QR Second Leg	29 August 2002		H	8–1 (won 9–2 on agg)	17,462	Miller (2), Couñago (3), Brown, McGreal, Ambrose
R1 First Leg	19 September 2002		H	1–1	16,933	Alun Armstrong
R1 Second Leg	3 October 2002		A	1–0 (won 2–1 on agg)	16,500	M Bent (pen)
R2 First Leg	31 October 2002		H	1–0	16,138	D Bent
R2 Second Leg	14 November 2002		A	0–1 (1–1 on agg, lost 2–4 on pens)	6,509

Transfers

Transfers out

Date	Pos	Name	To	Fee	Ref
1 July 2002	DF	Will Snowdon	Livingston	Free transfer	[6]
1 July 2002	MF	Ashley Nicholls	Darlington	Free transfer
12 July 2002	DF	Titus Bramble	Newcastle United	£5,000,000	[7]
30 August 2002	FW	Marcus Stewart	Sunderland	£3,250,000	[8]
30 October 2002	GK	Keith Branagan	Retired		[9]
18 December 2002	DF	Wayne Brown	Watford	Free transfer	[10]
10 January 2003	DF	Jamie Clapham	Birmingham City	£1,300,000	[11]
20 January 2003	FW	Richard Logan	Boston United	Free transfer	[12]
31 January 2003	DF	Justin Miller	Leyton Orient	Free transfer	[13]
11 March 2003	FW	Steve Burton	Doncaster Rovers	Free transfer	[14]
24 March 2003	MF	Darren Ambrose	Newcastle United	Undisclosed	[15]
27 March 2003	DF	Hermann Hreiðarsson	Charlton Athletic	£900,000	[16]

Loans out

Date from	Pos	Name	From	Date until	Ref
18 July 2002	GK	Matteo Sereni	Brescia Calcio	30 June 2003	[17]
6 August 2002	FW	Steve Burton	Boston united	6 October 2002	[18]
29 August 2002	MF	Ulrich Le Pen	Strasbourg	1 June 2003	[19]
13 September 2002	DF	Justin Miller	Leyton Orient	17 December 2002	[20] [21]
16 September 2002	DF	Erdem Artun	Doncaster Rovers	16 October 2002	[22]
29 November 2002	FW	Richard Logan	Boston United	19 January 2003	[23]
26 March 2003	DF	Lee Beevers	Boston United	4 May 2003	[24]
26 March 2003	MF	Robert Dickinson	Boston United	4 May 2003

Squad statistics

All statistics updated as of end of season

Appearances and goals

|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Goalkeepers|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Defenders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Midfielders|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Forwards|-! colspan=14 style=background:#dcdcdc; text-align:center| Players transferred out during the season

Goalscorers

width=0%	No.	width=0%	Pos	width=0%	Nat	width=0%	Player	width=0%	First Division	width=0%	FA Cup	width=0%	League Cup	width=0%	UEFA Cup	width=0%	Total
9	FW		Pablo Couñago	17	0	1	3	21
18	FW		Darren Bent	12	3	2	1	18
16	FW		Marcus Bent	11	0	0	1	12
22	MF		Darren Ambrose	8	1	1	1	11
21	MF		Tommy Miller	6	1	1	2	10
8	MF		Matt Holland	7	0	0	0	7
23	DF		Thomas Gaardsøe	4	1	1	1	7
3	DF		Jamie Clapham	1	1	1	0	3
7	MF		Jim Magilton	3	0	0	0	3
17	DF		Wayne Brown	0	0	0	1	0
0	DF		Fabian Wilnis	2	0	0	0	2
4	DF		John McGreal	1	0	0	1	2
10	FW		Alun Armstrong	1	0	0	1	2
12	DF		Richard Naylor	2	0	0	0	2
30	MF		Martijn Reuser	2	0	0	0	2
11	FW		Marcus Stewart	0	0	0	1	1
14	MF		Jermaine Wright	1	0	0	0	1
19	MF		Finidi George	1	0	0	0	1
Own goal				1	0	0	0	1
Total				82	7	7	13	109

Clean sheets

width=0%	No.	width=0%	Nat	width=0%	Player	width=0%	First Division	width=0%	FA Cup	width=0%	League Cup	width=0%	UEFA Cup	width=0%	Total
1		Andy Marshall	9	1	0	2	12
31		Paul Gerrard	1	0	0	0	1
Total			10	1	0	2	13

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	First Division		FA Cup		League Cup		UEFA Cup		Total
1	GK	Andy Marshall	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
2	DF	Fabian Wilnis	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
3	DF	Jamie Clapham	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
4	DF	John McGreal	3	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	5	0
5	DF	Hermann Hreiðarsson	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	1
6	DF	Mark Venus	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
7	MF	Jim Magilton	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
8	MF	Matt Holland	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
9	FW	Pablo Couñago	5	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	2
14	MF	Jermaine Wright	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
15	DF	Chris Makin	8	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	1
16	FW	Marcus Bent	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
18	FW	Darren Ambrose	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	MF	Finidi George	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
21	MF	Tommy Miller	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
22	MF	Darren Ambrose	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
23	DF	Thomas Gaardsøe	5	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	8	0
30	MF	Martijn Reuser	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Total			50	4	3	0	1	0	7	0	61	4

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions^[25]

Awards

Player awards

width=0%	Award	width=0%	Player	width=0%	Ref
Player of the Year	Matt Holland	[26]
Players' Player of the Year	Pablo Couñago	[27]
Young Player of the Year	Darren Bent	[28]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ipswich file for administration. 10 February 2003 .
2. Web site: All Ipswich Town players: 2003.
3. News: Town Off to Denmark . TWTD . 15 July 2002 . 25 August 2020.
4. Web site: Ipswich Town 2001-2002 Results - statto.com . 10 February 2020 . 27 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130627223343/http://www.statto.com/football/teams/ipswich-town/2001-2002/results . dead .
5. Web site: Royle reunion for Gerrard . BBC Sport . 16 November 2002 . 26 June 2013.
6. News: Two Players Released . TWTD . 5 April 2002 . 7 April 2020.
7. News: Football | Teams | Newcastle United | Bramble bids for starring role . BBC Sport . 4 July 2002 . 21 March 2009.
8. News: Stewart Signs at Mackems . TWTD . 30 August 2002 . 7 April 2020.
9. News: Branagan Retires . TWTD . 31 October 2002 . 7 April 2020.
10. Web site: Brown Signs for Watford . 18 December 2002 . TWTD . 4 January 2016 .
11. News: Clapham Move Complete . TWTD . 10 January 2003 . 7 April 2020.
12. News: Logan Signs at Boston . TWTD . 20 January 2003 . 7 April 2020.
13. News: Miller Joins Orient . TWTD . 31 January 2003 . 7 April 2020.
14. News: Burton Signs for Donny . TWTD . 11 March 2003 . 24 April 2020.
15. News: Ambrose Deal Complete . TWTD . 24 March 2003 . 7 April 2020.
16. News: Hermann Deal Complete . TWTD . 27 March 2003 . 7 April 2020.
17. News: Accident may delay Sereni debut. 29 July 2002. 22 August 2009. UEFA.com.
18. News: Burton Loan Confirmed. TWTD. 6 August 2002. 7 April 2020.
19. News: Le Pen Loan Confirmed. TWTD. 27 August 2002. 7 April 2020.
20. News: Miller Off On Loan. TWTD. 13 September 2002. 7 April 2020.
21. News: Miller Loan Extended. TWTD. 7 November 2002. 7 April 2020.
22. News: Artun Off on Loan. TWTD. 16 September 2002. 7 April 2020.
23. News: Logan Off to Boston. TWTD. 29 November 2002. 7 April 2020.
24. Web site: Ipswich Town F.C. Official Website . Two join Boston on loan . 26 March 2003 . 21 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100721195910/http://www.itfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0%2C%2C10272~363024%2C00.html . 21 July 2010 . dead .
25. Web site: All Ipswich Town players: 2004.
26. Web site: Matt Supporters' Winner . TWTD . 25 March 2020 . 24 April 2003 .
27. News: Pablo Players' Favourite . TWTD . 25 April 2003 . 25 March 2020.
28. News: I Want to Stay - Pablo . TWTD . 28 April 2003 . 26 June 2020.